OnePlus 6 to Grab the Spotlight at May 16 Launch Event

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OnePlus says it will unveil its next smartphone, the OnePlus 6, next month in London.

The OnePlus 5T was one of the best smartphone bargains of 2017, with top-tier features packed into a sub-$500 device. Now it's almost time to see what OnePlus does for an encore.

The OnePlus 5T (seen here) is about to make way for the OnePlus 6. (Credit: Tom's Guide)

(Image credit: The OnePlus 5T (seen here) is about to make way for the OnePlus 6. (Credit: Tom's Guide))

The phone maker plans to introduce its next device, the OnePlus 6, during a May 16 launch event. The London event begins at noon Eastern time, and OnePlus will live-stream the phone's unveiling.

How much interest is there in the new phone? OnePlus plans on selling tickets for people who want to be there live. Of course, the ticket gets you more than just the opportunity to see the OnePlus 6 in person.

The company is also promising a swag bag plus a special gift for attendees who wind up ordering the new phone. (Attendees at the 2017 Brooklyn launch event for the OnePlus 5T got a backpack, t-shirt, hoodie and cap that were substantially nicer than what you'd normally get as swag.) You can order tickets for £16 or £18 through OnePlus; after 3 p.m. ET on Friday (April 27), prices jump to £30 or £34. (Update: OnePlus said it sold out all 1,000 available tickets for the May 16 event in less than 10 hours. At least you still have the live stream.)

U.S. shoppers are particularly eager to see a new phone from OnePlus. The OnePlus 5T sold out in this country more than a month ago, just five months after its release. Since then, Android phone fans who want top-of-the-line specs but don't want to break the bank to buy them have had limited options.

MORE: OnePlus 6 Rumors: Release Date, Specs and More

Plenty of information about the OnePlus 6 has already trickled out, with much of it coming from OnePlus itself. The new phone is expected to expand on the 5T's wide screen, adding an iPhone X-style notch to squeeze in a little more real estate. (OnePlus has suggested you'll be able to adjust a software setting to disguise the notch.) The new phone is rumored to have a 6.2-inch display with an 19:9 aspect ratio, slightly larger than the 5T's 6-inch screen and 18:9 aspect ratio.

OnePlus has already said that Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 will power the phone. That's the same mobile processor inside Samsung's Galaxy S9. The company says the OnePlus 6 will offer up to 8GB of RAM and as much as 256GB of storage — phrasing which suggests multiple configurations could be in the works.

The OnePlus 6 will retain the dual rear cameras OnePlus introduced on last year's phone. OnePlus has even posted some sample shots captured by its upcoming phone that show off the bokeh effect the twin lenses will support.

One thing that remains very much up in the air is how much the OnePlus 6 will cost. At least one report suggests the new phone could cost more than the OnePlus 5T, which started at $499. But one of OnePlus's advantages over bigger-name phones from Samsung and Apple is how its past flagships undercut Galaxy and iPhone models on price.

We'll get a better picture of just how much the phone will cost and what features it will offer on May 16 when the OnePlus 6 makes its debut.

Editors' Note: Updated at 2:11 p.m. ET to note that tickets for the May 16 event are sold out.

Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.